The Reading Group focuses on books written by Muslim women or with topics of particular relevance to Muslim women today, and we also watch films together!
To Mark the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Honour-Based Abuse which takes place on July 14th, The Reading Group for Muslim Women have been watching a film exploring this issue each week. On Thursday 6th August, we will be discussing these films on ‘honour’-based violence with guest speaker Mariam Ahmed from The Daisy Project.
The prevalence of ‘honour’-based violence (HBV) is extensive in the UK and around the world, but the true scale of the problem is unknown. In 2014 a Freedom of Information request to UK police forces revealed that over 11,000 cases of so-called ‘honour’ crime were recorded between 2010-2014. Forced Marriage is a significant part of the abuse for many victims of HBV, with the Government’s Forced Marriage Unit supporting over 1,400 cases in 2016. Many more crimes are never reported, with numerous barriers preventing victims from coming forward. For instance, reporting the abuse may trigger further HBV, and can lead to isolation from family and communities.
If you would like to watch the films, please find the links below.
Girl in the River
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDn5QcrwqdA
Banaz – A love Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VepuyvhHYdM
Shafilea Ahmed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2qbE17zDZc
Please note the Reading Group for Muslim Women are watching one film a week leading up to the discussion on 6th August. The films are sensitive so please do take care and give yourself time before watching the next one. You do not need to have watched all the films to join in the discussion!
If you require support on Honour Based Violence or related issues then please see the following link: https://www.mygov.scot/forced-marriage/get-support/
The event is free and for women only* (16+). To attend, please email syma.ahmed@womenslibrary.org.uk. If you can’t attend this event but would like to join the Reading Group for Muslim Women, please do get in touch!
*All women-only events are inclusive of Trans and Intersex women, as well as non-binary and gender fluid people.
This session takes place via an online video call link. If you would like to attend, please email syma.ahmed@womenslibrary.org.uk. If you have any concerns about how this will work for you, please do get in touch and we’ll do all we can to support you in joining the session.